Throughout all of 3E, we've had tons and tons of races. What was your favorite to play? Share why. Stories?
Despite my avatar, I like to play humans best--love the extra feat and skill points (I love feats and skills!). I also like elves for playing clerics and druids--I like the expanded weapon lists and resistance to some charm effects. Game mechanics aside, I like half-elves for the kind of role they bring to the adventuring group.
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I personally still look upon my Illumian Paladin/Rogue as a good time. In general, my fellow player characters didn't know how to figure him out. One second he's sneaking around and scouting out the enemy, the next explaining how he needed to fight an armed man.
Though currently, one of my players is reminding me why I like the cat people that Paizo released in the Dragon Compendium. He rides a fire pelt, he plays with fire and hides in a tree when the barbarian rages too much!
Like many, I've played drow. All of mine were attractive female drow (wizards or clerics of Eilistraee). Not bad, but being the "evil babe" got boring after a while. My changeling ranger in Eberron was Ok as well, I really feel Races of Eberron shorted changelings compared to warforged, shifters, and kalashtar. Played an alu-fiend before, still my overall favorite character of all time, but then again, playing the redeemed demoness can be really fun when paladins want to smite you but can't find reason to do so, demons hate you on sight, devils hate you on sight. . . you get the idea. But I really just like being a human or an elf most of the time.
People really sell halflings short (pun intended). They get +1 to hit (+3 with thrown weapons like slings and daggers), +2 to AC, +1 on Fort and Will, +2 on Reflex, and tons of skill bonuses. Making them a monk, barbarian, or scout counteracts the reduced movement and you can also make a riding specialized druid or paladin with a mount to make you go fast. The reduced weapon size is easily counteracted by elemental weapons (i.e. flaming, frost). They're no humans, but they're pretty good. That said, GNOMES SUCK!
I like playing sahuagain. Something about the "deep one" concept, mixed with a prodigious intellect balanced by physical power and bloodlust just makes them very interesting to me. Plus the phrase "fish out of water" is spot on for a lot of memorable social encounters.
I have the old 2nd edition book on them, where it describes Sahaugain "books" as tangles of kelp, shell, and bone that are shaken to produce sounds that the sahuagain "read". Imagine my sahuagain's suprise when he discovers that surface creatures don't read with their ears! Always great fun when the party realizes your intel 18 fishman is illiterate!
Ghost Elf
I remain fascinated by the Aventi, but never got the opportunity to play one since my DM seems to be afraid of the water:)
About the only non-PHB race I've actually played is xeph.
I didn't have a chance to type this before. I've always wanted to play a whisper gnome, a hellbred and a kender. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.
I didn't have a chance to type this before. I've always wanted to play a whisper gnome, a hellbred and a kender. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.
I'm sorry, but the announcement that you've wanted to play a kender merely informs us that you are, in fact, evil incarnate. I'm afraid you must be put down for the greater good of the world-and so we can find our dice, spoons, crickets, and assorted magical doo-dads.
Going outside WotC, I really love the races of Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved. My favorite character I've ever RPed was a Loresong Faen Magister, although he was a bit atypical for his race. Rather than a cheerful little prankster (gnome, basically)I based his personality and voice on Malcolm McDowell, only three feet tall. He was cranky, condescending, and urbane, and a lot of fun. He's also the only character I've ever played through an entire campaign from level 1-20 with, and after spending two years RPing him, I can still slip into character like a comfortable pair of shoes when I need an NPC mage for my own games.
I also really enjoy playing the Hu-Charad Giants, Mojh and Sibeccai from AE.
If I had to limit myself to things appearing only in WotC products, then the Nezumi from Oriental Adventures/Rokugan are definately my favorites. Then again, according to the Chinese Zodiac, I'm a Rat, so playing a Chinese Rat-man isn't that far of a stretch. :-D
I like the elan from the Expanded Psionics Handbook.
Kobold was the funnest, something about lots of charisma and getting all the other people to carry around your 7 con butt O:)
Liked the Goliaths though in our world(s) they had hooves like a mountain goat. Mostly because the Tiefling mini I first used for one.
I like chaos gnomes (LOVE the free luck re-roll), whisper gnomes (fast and stealthy), and goliaths (HULK SMASH!!!).
As a DM, I like gnolls, kenku, and shifters (they make good "cheap" serpent folk to pal around with yuan-ti, tiger folk to pal around with rakshasa, etc.).
But I usually play humans because I love the free feat and bonus skill points. Although one of my most memorable PCs was an elf archer druid. Very versatile, but not over-powered.
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I loved the Kenku, though I have yet to actually get a chance to play as one.
Even though most of my characters are either Human or Elves when they are still a concept, I usually end up being either a Halfling or a Gnome when I write it all down. I don't know why, but I like playing short characters. Especially halflings because of the same reasons Warlock said. They get some mad bonuses, especially if you play a strongheart halfling. The extra feat is normally the reason I play a human in the first place, and mix that into a halfling?
Yeah, I'd have to say Strongheart Halfling is my favorite.
So what was your favorite non-PHB race to play?
Non-PHB race: Lizard folk.
Alien mindset to explore, 'base' animalistic body language, natural weaponry, and dealing with societal/mammalian prejudice & fear.
What's not to like?
Lizardfolk, I like to go druid with them (yeah I know about racial HD+LA = crappy spellcaster), usually with a name like "Speaks with Beasts" (he tends to have ranks in diplomacy for dealing with other humanoids), and usually eats the hearts of respected fallen foes/allies so that their strength would not be lost.
Goblins make awesome rogues, 30 ft movement, small, darkvision.
Orcs, when you just need to say hello with a smash in the face.
I also like the half-ogre for much the same reason as the orc (in fact I have made up a half-ogre, that had an orc parent).
Lupins! I just plain love wolves, though I preferred to have characters get zapped/reincarnated into a lupin form rather than start out that way.
Lupins! I just plain love wolves, though I preferred to have characters get zapped/reincarnated into a lupin form rather than start out that way.
What book are lupins in?
We played a Werewolf game once, and after my PC got hosed with depleted uranium bullets (works even better than silver!), I made up a wolf-that-can-turn-human that was raised by "Zigfried and Freude" (it was a Vegas-based campaign), and so he didn't quite get human society, even though he had performed for them a lot in his past. Also, TV. Also, his clothes were horrendous: purple sequined suit, thigh-high white snake-skin boots, a rose in the lapel, and a giant Jew-fro. I always asked the GM to describe scents to me first, then visual and audio info.
Centaur ranger/bard in Al-Qadim game. (2nd Ed)
From Mythic Races
The Risen (opposite of fallen angels).
Demons/Devils attempting to redeem themselves.
Satyrs
One half human, half scorpion thing that enjoyed painting.
I have wanted to try playing a goblin, but have not had a chance yet.
Did a desert ghul once, with cloven hooves and illusion powers. Assassin annoyed her once and she told the rest of party that she was going to cut out his heart, roast it and eat it.
It was not hyperbole. Unfortunately, he escaped before she could follow through.
I didn't have a chance to type this before. I've always wanted to play a whisper gnome, a hellbred and a kender. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.
I had a hellbred character. He was full of bad-assery. He was a barbarian/frenzied-berserker/devil-killing-PrC-that-I-don't-remember-the-na me-of. It was a hell of a time. I accidently one-shotted a party member when a frenzy went off from a trap. I also single handedly took down a room full of gargoyles trying to dunk me in acid. I did a 20th level build that could kill a balor in a single round if he won initiative and didn't roll any 1s on his attack rolls. Ah, those were the days.
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I didn't have a chance to type this before. I've always wanted to play a whisper gnome, a hellbred and a kender. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.I'm sorry, but the announcement that you've wanted to play a kender merely informs us that you are, in fact, evil incarnate. I'm afraid you must be put down for the greater good of the world-and so we can find our dice, spoons, crickets, and assorted magical doo-dads.
Don't worry I'll cast raise dead to bring you back!:P
I like: Vampires, poisondusk lizard folk, kinders, kobolds, most lycanthropes, half-dragons(mostly silver), changelings, and woodlings.Unfotunatle=y my Dm For RotRL would not let anyone start as anything not PHB. I still managed to play a 'vampire'(Alpha bbn2/UndeadBloodlineSorc6/3.5Eldritch Knight{We weren't using paizo's prestige pdf.])
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I didn't have a chance to type this before. I've always wanted to play a whisper gnome, a hellbred and a kender. Unfortunately, I never got that chance.I had a hellbred character. He was full of bad-assery. He was a barbarian/frenzied-berserker/devil-killing-PrC-that-I-don't-remember-the-na me-of. It was a hell of a time. I accidently one-shotted a party member when a frenzy went off from a trap. I also single handedly took down a room full of gargoyles trying to dunk me in acid. I did a 20th level build that could kill a balor in a single round if he won initiative and didn't roll any 1s on his attack rolls. Ah, those were the days.
Holy crap! How'd you manage that?
On topic:
I tend to stick pretty close to phb races usually. The most fun i've had was playing a dwarf fighter/cleric. Till he sacrificed himself to save the party from a colossal red dragon. We still talk about that to this day.
I did a 20th level build that could kill a balor in a single round if he won initiative and didn't roll any 1s on his attack rolls. Ah, those were the days.Holy crap! How'd you manage that?
The character was specifically designed to take out evil critters. He founded a legacy weapon that by 20th level was like a +5 Cold Iron Holy Surge Evil-Outsider-Bane that could cast Heal on him 1/day. The PrC also focused on killing evil things. So he could use a magic item to make an attack a touch, power attack getting like 4-to-1, do an extra 10d6 against evil stuff, crit on 17-20. So in the end it was something like 2d6(weapon)+7(magic)+18(strength)+60(power attack)+10d6(Holy Surge and PrC) for a total of 97-157 (avg 127) with five attacks. Of course while doing this he'd have an AC of about 16. None of this would be possible with core rules, but it all made sense for the character and wasn't as power-gaming as it sounds.
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In 2nd edition, my favorite non-standard races were Duergar, Xixchil (Complete Spacefarer's Handbook) and Half-Ogre-Magi (using the Ogrima spells from Al-Qadim on a half-ogre chassis).
In 3rd edition, I've preferred Humans over everything else, with an occasional slice of Halfling, for the core races. (I used to play Elves, particularly Aquatic Elves and Aquatic Half-Elves pretty regularly, but 'common' Elves and Dwarves do nothing for me, unless it's part of a setting that makes them cooler, like the Scarred Lands, with it's tattooed reincarnationist wood elves and stony-skinned slaver Charduni dwarves!)
In Eberron, it was Gnolls, Changelings and Daelkyr Half-Bloods. I liked the idea of Warforged and Shifters, but never enough to play one, and Kalashtar didn't suit my fancy.
Of all the 'Races of' additions, about the only one (other than the pre-existing Gnoll) that really called out to me was the Killoran, but I never got to play one. The Raptorans and Goliaths seemed pretty neat mechanically (and if I were to design an LA +0 flying race, I'd use the Raptoran graduated model as as guide, and the same with an LA +0 'giant' race and Powerful Build), but the Killoran had some sort of spark to them (to me, anyway) that the others lacked.
In Arcana Unearthed, I prefer the Faen (either type, plus Spryte), Sibbecai and Mojh for feel.
I had a badass harssaf monk once...I miss that character. I am also quite fond of centaurs, flinds (a nastier gnoll? Sold!), and elans (I love psionics...and redheaded chicks!).
One character I'm DYING to play is a thri-kreen swordsage...he understands common but refuses to speak it. His partner is a halfling wizard/force missile mage who has to translate his speech for the rest of the party...
I'd have to say "any of them". I'm that player who pretty much avoids all of the PHB races altogether. :)
I've really enjoyed kobold, warforged (especially with a couple awesome minis), and dromite the most.
I always wanted to run a hellbred, it's such a fascinating concept. Figured goblin and minotaur would both be fun races to try someday, but I haven't had a chance to.
First, i don't see any reason to talk in the past tense.
D&D3.5 is not dead.
Then, about non PHB races, i would say Drow.
I played quite a few of them, and none like the infamous Drizzt.
Thinking about it, that's actually the only non-PHB race i really played more than once, all my characters being mainly humans or elves, with a few half-elves or halflings.
I tried a shifter but the DM wasn't dedicated to run more games, so it was just a one shot.
First, i don't see any reason to talk in the past tense.
D&D3.5 is not dead.
The King is dead! Long live…er…I mean…
3.5 is dead! Long live Pathfinder!
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My favorite non-PHB character that I've played was a Satyr Bard. He fell in love with a Nymph who was then slain by a Salamander in front of him...vengeance, justice, whatever you want to call it, the adventure followed.
Second fav was a Hobgoblin Brawler, I wanted to play a character that relied on his fists, but wasn't a monk. If we had played that story to the end, he may have become my favorite over time.
I played a Centaur Ranger many many moons ago in a Forgotten Realms setting. This was my first "monstrous" PC, but I don't remember much about the game...we probably only played those characters a couple of times.
Fey'ri. Shapeshifting demon elves for the win!
I'd like to try a choker scout. Full attack skirmishes for the win!
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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I WANT to play a hobgoblin in Eberron...a Champion of Dhakaan! woot.
You're getting to play Hobgoblins as our DM. ;)
Fey'ri. Shapeshifting demon elves for the win!
See below.
There are quite a few non-PHB races I've played and liked and some I haven't had the chance to yet, but would like to.
Favourites I've played (in no particular order):
Air Genasi
Fey'ri (Probably my favourite. I've played a Duskblade and am about to start an Abyssal Sorcerer)
Celadrin
Harssaf
Hobgoblin
Favourites I haven't (in no particular order):
Worghest
Changeling
Whisper Gnome
Half-Dragon (I've made two-characters for different games and never got to play them, a Blue and a Silver. Hmmm... maybe that's my current fascination with the new Dragon Disciple)
Yuan-ti